I don’t work super far from BH, and it never would’ve occurred to me to drive all the way to Thai Town for food for lunch, even if I had a few hrs free! You’re a better man than I, @Bookwich. 
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Boat Noodles are usually cooked with pigs blood. So Sapp probably doesn’t shy away from using it. But I’m with you. I’ll just content myself with drooling over other people’s pictures of it.
I thought the same thing. It’s nice to be free though. Shhh… Sometimes I wanna’ ditch my peeps and go food seeking by myself 
. More power to ya’.
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That’s what I thought. Whew, that was close. I wonder if they would just have given them to me or asked me whether I knew they had pig blood in them?
@paranoidgarliclover I kind of forgot just how far it was. I used to eat in that neighborhood when I lived in Hollywood, and usually after a night of clubbing, so there wasn’t traffic. The food is so good!
Natalee Thai - Don’t judge me.
Green Curry w/Chicken & Brown Rice - Spicy, hot green curry & creamy sweetened coconut broth w/bamboo shoots, peas, basil leaves, red bell peppers, chili peppers, lime leaves, squirt of lime
I love this dish. Not hot enough to come with a waitress warning. But hot enough to make them giggle when you sputter.
Beef Pad See Ew - Flat rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, scrambled egg, light brown sauce (gravy).
Not my choice. But I never turn down a few bites of noodles & gravy.
Morning Glory - Sautéed w/garlic, oyster sauce (bottled or not), orange peppers, surprisingly pungent salty fermented soybeans.
The next morning I made Morning Glory & Pad See Ew Egg Pancakes.
I don’t think a Blue Rum Hurricane is Thai authentic. But I have got to get me some of these glasses.
To go, but not pictured, Tofu Pad See Ew
For the first Thai foray, we wanted to go to one of the places we first tasted Thai food. Chao Praya is long gone, and Chan Dara is just a negative… or as my brother says “Negatory”. There was this little place (back in the day) on east Melrose. You’d walk thru a jade garden, mini stone temples and koi ponds, up to a converted bungalow, run by a mom & her family - serving unpronounceable, whimsically delicious dishes. If anyone can name or recall the place I’ll give you my cat.
Anyway, Natalee is a still popular neighborhood spot. But not in a tired hanging on kinda’ way. You can tell they refurbish regularly. But still in that Patrick Nagel, Art-Deco style, so popular in the 80’s.
Natalee Thai
998 S. Robertson
Beverly Hills (adjacent)
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Second foray: Luv2Eat. Yep… After all the weirdness on the L2E thread and my announcement of “I’m not going”, then @PorkyBelly’s prodding… Well…
Hat Yai Fried Chicken - Marinated in oyster sauce w/garlic, lemongrass, herbs, spices & pepper, served w/crispy fried onions, sticky rice & sweet chili sauce
Loads of flavor, crispy outside, not greasy (maybe a tad over-cooked) Next time… Yes, next time, We’re ordering a double of the fried chix & sauce, hold the superfluous sIdes. The sauce?
Let’s just say, it ain’t Trader Joe’s Sweet Chili Sauce.
We did it! Phuket Style Crab Curry Kanomjean
From pictures I knew it was a beauty. But my first impression was the strong aroma of pungent, salty, fish paste. Yep… You’re not in Kansas anymore. My husband loved this. It was too flaming to eat a lot at one sitting. I was content to suck out the sweet, tender blue crab meat and take a few bites of the crab laden sauce w/noodles, then leave it right there. But my sweetie wanted to bring it home and torture himself more the next day. Again with the somewhat superfluous sides of egg, chopped long beans, sprouts and a super spicy but tasty pickled papaya (Kanomjean?).
Papaya Salad (Tum Thai) - Green papaya, tomato, carrots, Thai eggplant, roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, dressed w/lime, tamarind, fish sauce & chili
I could taste the individual components of this dish the most. Reason? The spicy, sweet, vinegary dressing was mostly on the bottom waiting to be ladled on vedge at will.
Thai Iced Tea & Cold Chrysanthemum Tea
Husband needed 2 Thai teas to manage heat.
Thai Tea Custard - To go
I Love me some custard.
Okay so… Our experience was way more pleasurable than arguing on FTC’s L2E thread. We didn’t have the irritating experience with waitstaff some have had. They could tell we already knew the drill, and didn’t have to talk us out of ordering dishes spicy. In fact, our waitress talked us into the crab. She said she would ask for mild. But it would still burn our mouths and we would love it. She was right. They were very sweet people.
With extra rice, the price was $56. + tip.
My husband is already thinking about what he will order next time. I think it will be a porky experience.
Thanks PorkBelly!
Luv2Eat
6660 Sunset Blvd
Hollywood
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Geez, that place is far.
It’s in a low-budget strip mall off Highland… hooker central. But that’s the charm of eating in L.A.
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Finally made it to Sapp Coffee Shop.
To start, this is now probably my favorite Thai Iced Tea, heavily influenced by the wonderful ice. They have an ice shaver machine behind the counter that they fire up for each order, and it really gives the drink a great texture.
I’ve read so much about these Boat Noodles, and yet, this was my first foray. I heard that they were funky. I read that they had blood. And now I’ve tasted that they’re so good. The best surprise was the crackling. I’d seen it in y’alls pictures but had no idea how a crunchy crackling would work in a soup. It definitely lost its crunch, but the texture was a wonderful slimey addition to a bite with the noodles.
Hanging on the counter where they box up the to-go orders, there was a special that said “Banana Leaf Sticky Rice,” and as soon as I ordered it, they took that sign down. Wrapped like an empanada, the sticky rice had a very prominent banana flavor and was a nice treat.
Also ordered Jade Noodles for takeaway and am still figuring out how to best heat it up. Will follow back up once I crack that mystery.
There’s not much else that I can add that everyone doesn’t seem to already know. This is a great spot, and I was happy to finally try it. And the price is right - think it came out to around $27 for everything (including the Jade Noodles & another Thai Iced Tea for the missus).
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Nice, I’m glad you liked it. That crab curry goes great over some hot rice the next day.
Now to get you to try some head and brains
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Would a shrimp head suffice?
The Jade Noodles are usually served room temperature…maybe 30 second increments in the microwave, I hope the noodles are not too congealed together.
Sapp’s Boat Noodles, glad to see someone give it a chance and like it. IMO one of the most complex flavors for the palette in this city.
L2E, gotta try this out!
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That’s a good start
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I think I accidentally ate a cabeza taco from El Chato truck recently. I have to admit it was tasty.
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Gently warm in a pan over low heat, it’s the best way to save the integrity of a dish. If it’s not saucy, sprinkle a little water around the edges of the pan.
I love my microwave, but sometimes you want to avoid zapping.
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Thanks for the tips, @JeetKuneBao & @Bookwich.
Ended up zapping 'em just enough to get back to room temp, and they reheated pretty dang well. There were layers of flavor and a nice spice throughout. The pork was especially tasty. Still, I think it’d be better fresh (especially for the crunch of the peanuts), but the Jade Noodles were still delicious the day after.
Hola, y’all.
Question: are there any good thai places in Culver City / Mid-City? The missus is having a gals dinner tonight, and apparently they’re leaning thai but also want to stick around that general vicinity.
Merci!
That’s a good question. I look forward to that answer too.